Field Description

The Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs focuses on the advocacy and analysis of public policy. It is designed for those seeking to have a positive impact on society. Students learn to formulate, implement, and evaluate creative solutions to challenging global, national, state, and local problems. The coursework examines how public and nonprofit organizations are involved in the policy process. Civic engagement skills are developed in economic and financial analysis, political negotiation, qualitative and quantitative methods, and rhetoric. Policy areas of interest include community development, education, the environment, healthcare, housing, and social welfare. The degree prepares students for employment in government, political campaigns, and the growing social activism of the nonprofit sector. An excellent foundation is provided for graduate-level education in communications, law, management, public administration, public policy, and urban planning.

The Minor

The School of Public Affairs offers a Tier III minor in Survey Research. The minor is designed to provide undergraduate students from many disciplines with a basic introduction to survey research as a mode of inquiry, a rigorous datagathering process, a way of understanding mass opinion and its uses in a democracy, and the foundation of the research databases that inform other social science disciplines. Students will learn about the history and uses of surveys, study sound survey design, and design and implement their own survey.